$034*$" Special case In Corsica, the clocks tick differently than on the French mainland. Compared to other regions in , the fourth largest Mediterranean island enjoys a high degree of autonomy. This fact is also felt by the representatives of the solar sector.

n the day that PV gained momentum in France, Corsica started to become attractive Ofor the solar sector. The island enjoys excep- tional solar radiation levels and offers feed-in tariffs comparable to the French overseas departments and territories. Suddenly, the industry representatives conditions and infrastructure, including the project’s took off to Corsica with plans for new projects. But the consistency with regional landscapes and the Corsicans are quite proud of their autonomy, says economic benefits for the region. “An important Angela Saade, PV expert for Hespul, an association aspect is also whether the planners want to install for Renewable and Energy Efficiency. Local the system on an agricultural surface. Based on this authorities have a strong influence on the licensing of catalogue, a number of 20 solar projects have been solar parks. “The so-called Assemblée de Corse approved by the Assemblée de Corse in the past.” consists of representatives from the different regions However, more compliance with the required who participate in the political decision-making, criteria does not imply that the project will be including when it comes to permits for a solar park”, successful. In a next step, the project has to be explains Saade. presented to the authorities of the relevant municipality, which has to approve of the White Owl Capital, a Regional restrictions plans. “This is where things can get tricky. company based in Berlin, Understandably, the municipalities are interested in Germany, is currently According to Saade, the Corsicans have developed a taking an advantage out of the project as well. This realizing solar power healthy skepticism towards foreign companies. The sometimes leads to absurd obligations, which can plants with a total annual representatives of the Assemblée de Corse are no make the system integrators tear their hair out and production capacity of exception. “It did not take long until the representa- even cause the project to fail”, says Saade. For 5 MW in Corsica. tives had come up with a whole catalogue of criteria example, the authorities may request that the Photo: White Owl Capital for the installation of new solar parks”, says Saade. installation of the solar park is done by a local compa- These criteria concern, for example, the environmental ny even though that installer may have no expertise impact of the project or the adjustment to local whatsoever in the area of PV. “Being successful with a

2424 & Wind Energy – Special Edition France 2011 $034*$"

PV project on Corsica requires a strong local network. them the most southern PV systems in France. The There has to be someone who is familiar with the re- projects will incorporate a number of about 21.800 gion and who knows the locals.” polycrystalline modules supplied by Trina Solar and be built on a surface of 11 hectares. The inverters for Federal regulation the system come from SMA Solar Technology. With the investments in Corsica, the German issuing house Besides such hurdles on the regional level, there are is continuing its international expansion course. also federal regulations slowing down the ambitions “Corsica is a great example of the acquisition know- of PV developers in Corsica. “There is a rule in France how of our group. Our activities in this area will be that wind or solar parks cannot feed in more than further strengthened in the future”, explains Tobias 30 % of the consumed in the region where Pehle, CEO of White Owl Capital AG. they are installed. This rule applies to all systems with According to Pehle, WOC is a global player and able a capacity of more than 3 kW”, says Saade. During the to provide financing for solar projects in the short-term. months when the island is visited by tourists, the rule In the past two years, WOC had acquired PV assets in is usually not a problem. “The situation is different in the range of about € 400 million for its associated com- spring and fall, when the tourists are missing and the panies. Responsible for the project development is electricity consumption drops down to 150 MW. If that Kloss Nouvelles Énergies EURL (KNE), a company based happens, the share of 30 % is quickly reached.” The in Marseille. With selling the solar plants in Corsica, KNE total capacity of the wind and solar parks feeding into is continuing its growth in the area of PV and strength- the electricity grid in Corsica may then not exceed ening its foothold in France. “In the realization of the so- 45 MW. If it does, the first systems will have to be tak- lar plants in Corsica, we focused on local stake holders en off the grid. “According to legislation, the solar from the very beginning. This included municipalities, park that was last connected has to be taken off first, environmental, construction and self-rule authorities as followed by the second last and so on.” The problem well as development partners oriented at long-term re- is that, if a system is taken off the grid too often, it lationships”, says Nikolai Brombach, CEO of Kloss New ceases to be profitable. However, PV growth in Corsi- Energy. Corsica is mostly moun- ca is not only kept at bay by regulations and legal pro- tainous and covered with visions. There are also topographical and environ- Pioneer juwi forests, which makes the mental limits on the island. “Corsica is for most part installation of a solar mountainous and covered with forests. This makes it One of the first solar companies that became active in park a difficult undertak- difficult to find suitable locations for establishing util- Corsica is the project developer juwi Solar. High solar ing. Photo: Beyer ity-scale solar parks”, says Saade. radiation levels make Corsica an attractive location for Nevertheless, the solar industry has not been scared away by the special conditions on the island and birth place of Napoleon Bonaparte. One success story comes from White Owl Capital AG (WOC) based in Berlin, German y. The company, which has special- ized on investments, and recently obtained licenses for the construction of two solar power plants that arrive at a total annual capacity of 5 MW. The systems will be built in the commune of Bonifacio, Département Corse-du-Sud, which makes

26 Sun & Wind Energy – Special Edition France 2011 the realization of solar projects, says Konstantin Internal consumption Nörenberg, Project Manager for juwi. In fall 2009, the company had given the go ahead for the construction Taking into account that the electricity fed into the grid of a new solar park on the island. “The system with a by wind or solar power plants cannot exceed 30 % of nominal capacity of 7.7 MW was built on a surface of the consumption on the island, the development of PV more than 30 hectares in the village of Rapale, 20 km has a natural limit in Corsica. Since there is no direct south-west of Bastia, in the Département Haute-Corse. electricity connection to continental France, Corsica The project had such special characteristics that it has no access to the cheap nuclear power produced on needed to be authorized by the Corsican National the mainland. Of course, this would be an argument in Assembly”, says Konstantin Nörenberg. What makes favour of using the benefits of renewable energy sys- the project also stand out is the idea to use small, tems on the island. What is more: a large share of the decentralized inverters to allow for an uncomplicated energy needed is imported from Italy. The transformer and most of all fast maintenance on the island. “In the station near Bastia and a submarine cable connection event that an inverter should fail, the device can be with Sardinia provide Corsica with 20 % of its electric- replaced by a local installer”, explains Nörenberg. In ity. Electricity is not cheap in Sardinia though nor in total, Juwi used a number of more than 900 inverters southern Italy. Corsica faces the same problem, as the of the Germany-based manufacturer SMA in the energy production is 50 % controlled by the state- project. “The system arrives at an annual production owned utility giant Électricité de France (EDF). EDF runs of more than 11 million kWh, produced by 102,800 hydro and thermal power plants on the island, of which thin-film modules by First Solar.” The plant was put in the latter is fired with fossil fuels that first have to be operation in August 2010. One of the investors has shipped to the island. This makes it even more difficultt been the company S.C.A. Sicar. Another company to produce cheap electricity in Corsica. But probably active in Corsica is Solar Euromed, which operates a the best argument in favour of internal consumption off test plant called “Alba Nova” near the town of renewable energy in Corsica is that it enjoys exception- Ghisonaccia. According to Solar Euromed, the system al solar radiation levels. With between 1,750 and is based on a combination of Concentrating Solar 1,900 kWh/m², they are the highest in all of . Power (CSP) and biomass. The CSP system has an an- nual production capacity of 12 MW.

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Sun & Wind Energy – Special Edition France 2011